Don McArthur recounts how his D Day parachute drop went awry, trapping him behind enemy lines with no supplies and causing him to spend ten months as a prisoner of war. During D Day Don had suspected that his given orders were flawed but the extreme camaraderie he had experienced in the Parachute Regiment prevented him from trusting his doubt and confusion.   Tasked with delivering mortars to a rendezvous point, Don and his platoon were dropped into Normandy on a dark, rainy night with no way to distinguish where to land or where to move towards. Despite the conditions he was able to locate three more of the lost Paras but no maps had been given out so following the noise of explosions was now their only option. After ten days of wandering the empty countryside with no supplies and no enemy or ally contact they were discovered by German soldiers and Don was captured.   Don found the prison camp’s staff strict and quick to anger but he couldn’t blame them for just doing their job and didn’t resist their interrogations due to how worn out he was. After having been released one month after World War 2 ended, the Parachute Regiment asked him to return to their ranks but Don instead chose to go live with his wife and infant child.        

Jim Reynolds, a conscripted driver/mechanic in the Armoured Corps, shares his experiences in World War II. Growing up in Cirencester, he was called up at 18 and trained as a driver/mechanic. Initially equipped with a rifle in a Bren gun carrier, his regiment eventually received Sherman tanks. Landing in Normandy shortly after D-Day, Jim and his crew faced the realities of war. He recounts his time under Sergeant Frost, a commander who instilled confidence. Jim vividly describes an encounter where they lost their Sergeant and he sustained a minor shrapnel injury. Despite the loss and close calls, Jim continued his service, participating in various operations, including a night march and navigating treacherous terrain. He recalls a harrowing incident where his tank was destroyed, and he was shot twice while trying to escape. After a long recovery, Jim was eventually discharged.

Barry Andrews was a dedicated veteran who carried out 38 years of service. Throughout his time, he had a variety of roles from Royal Engineer to Regimental Sergeant Major. From his time in Osnabrück, Germany, Barry reflects on the benefits of being a Royal Engineer and how it gives you ‘two strings to your bow’, going onto explain how important engineers are in the daily life and recovery of soldiers. Barry expresses the sense of naivety the soldiers felt upon dealing with the role of nuclear warfare, explaining the intense training that had to be undertaken. In his interview, Barry reflects on how soldiers handled their relationships with locals and funny anecdotes that came along with it. However, he goes onto share difficult situations like the 30th May, which unfortunately saw two men killed and nine casualties. He explores how this had a detrimental effect on the morale of the camp, as they had to learn to deal with the effects of grief and anger. Overall, he considers Aden to have been a good experience for a young man, yet, with the devastating loss of two good friends, he will always carry it with him.

From a happy childhood in a Yorkshire mining village to a career spanning almost five decades, Major Clive Candlin reflects on his lifetime of service. Joining the Army at just 17 years old opened up a world beyond Yorkshire that took him to places he could never have imagined visiting. The interview centres on Clive's deployment to Aden in 1964, with the Coldstream Guards, where he served as a clerk at Battalion Headquarters. He offers a rare perspective on how a battalion functioned during an active campaign, describing the unseen administrative work that kept operations moving. This included the responsibility of handling casualty reports so that soldiers’ families could be informed quickly and accurately. Clive also reflects on the personal costs of service. He speaks openly about the difficulties of leaving his wife, Margaret and their infant son, Steve, behind in Britain, describing the uncertainty of being separated for such a long time, especially when communication was not what it is now. Among some of Clive's happier memories are those of the friendships and camaraderie he shared among the men, which provided moments of relief amidst the pressure of service. Clive's testimony provides valuable insight into both the operational realities and the emotional cost of Army life during the Aden Emergency.

Séan Bonner joined the Parachute Regiment in 1964, beginning a military career that would span more than three decades and take him from Cyprus and Aden to later service as a helicopter pilot. Born in India into a long line of military service stretching back generations, Séan describes a childhood shaped by army life, adventure and a fascination with flying. In this interview, he gives a vivid and often darkly humorous account of life as a young paratrooper during the Aden Emergency. Serving with 1 Para in 1965, he recalls operations in the Radfan Mountains around Habilayn and Abdimna, where British forces sought to secure the Dhala Road against insurgent attack. He describes patrols through the wadis, incoming mortar and rocket fire, convoy protection duties, and the constant tension of operating in difficult mountainous terrain. Séan also reflects on service in Cyprus, Bahrain and Dhofar, the culture and mentality of the Parachute Regiment, and the intense camaraderie forged through training and combat. Frank, thoughtful and highly engaging, his testimony offers a vivid insight into British airborne operations during the final years of Britain’s presence in Aden.

Stan Shore joined the army in 1939 from Guernsey. He served in the Royal Tank Regiment and the Royal Armoured Corps. On D-Day, he was on the ship MV Derrycunihy. The ship was supposed to offload armoured cars, but due to a storm, this was impossible. It was struck by a mine and broke in half. Stan survived by swimming away from the ship and was rescued by a small landing craft. He was taken to the HMS Mosquito, where he and other survivors were given clothes and care. They were then sent ashore and instructed to dig in. Stan's unit had suffered heavy casualties, with 180 men killed. They were reinforced with a squadron from a recce regiment in Northern Ireland. Later, they were moved to an orchard. Stan's unit eventually moved into battle towards Bayeux. He served in a half-track, a vehicle with wheels in the front and tracks in the rear.

George Rose grew up in south-east London during the Second World War, experiencing the Blitz, air raid shelters and the celebrations that followed victory in 1945. National Service eventually took him from suburban Kent to Egypt and, unexpectedly, to the Korean War.

Volunteering to join the Royal Fusiliers, George found himself serving not in the front line trenches but in the battalion orderly room, where he became responsible for the vital flow of information that kept the regiment functioning. Working behind the lines, he witnessed the hidden side of war: casualty reports, citations for bravery, urgent messages and the administrative machinery that supported men fighting on the hills.

His interview offers a fascinating perspective on life within the Royal Fusiliers, the realities of service during a largely forgotten conflict and the quiet professionalism of those whose work rarely attracts attention.

More than seventy years later, George remains quietly proud of his service and of the regiment he came to call his own.

John Ingle grew up in rural Cambridgeshire during the Second World War, he witnessed aerial combat above his home, saw the effects of bombing at close hand and developed a lifelong love of farming and the countryside. Like many young men of his generation, he expected his future to lie elsewhere. National Service changed everything. Originally hoping for a career in agriculture, John instead found himself in uniform, first training in England before travelling across the world to Hong Kong and eventually Korea. Serving with the Royal Fusiliers, he became a transport driver – a role that demanded skill, courage and nerves of steel. Driving alone at night on narrow mountain roads without lights, often under enemy fire, John experienced a very different side of the Korean War. His story reveals the hidden dangers faced by the men who kept the front line supplied: carrying ammunition, transporting troops, recovering casualties and navigating some of the most difficult terrain imaginable. Along the way, John encountered extraordinary characters. He recalls Cockney Fusiliers who became lifelong comrades, soldiers struggling with the psychological strain of war, acts of remarkable bravery and moments of humanity that have remained with him for more than seventy years. His memories also extend beyond the battlefield. He describes the poverty he witnessed among Korean civilians, the kindness of local people, the friendships formed within the regiment and the experiences that shaped him long after National Service ended. Thoughtful, candid and often humorous, John’s interview provides a vivid account of a war that many people know little about, told by a man who remains deeply proud of his service and of the Royal Fusiliers.

Peter was conscripted when he turned 21 in 1951. He was sent to the Army Service Corp where he learnt how to drive various vehicles and also became responsible for the new national service recruits. He was unaware that war had broken out in Korea until he returned from leave to see his name on the board for dispatch there. Peter recalls the 4 week journey to Pusan and the devastated landscape where the trees had all be burnt down and the land scorched. One day he spots a notice looking for a medical orderly and gets the job. One of the big bonuses was a tent to himself and no longer sharing with eleven other men. He describes his day to day duties and having his eyes opened to the spread of VD. He then applies for a job looking after the canteen supplies. He didn’t have to go on any patrols but would go out to help retrieve dead bodies. Peter also describes the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) tents where he was impressed by the work being done. Peter reflects that his time serving may not have been the most exciting but it was important, valuable work that needed done.

Ronald Arnold joined the Home Guard in 1940 aged 16, before joining the regular army in 1942 (Middlesex Regiment) and serving in Normandy. As a wartime teenager, he felt a strong sense of duty and urgency, with most people somehow contributing to the war effort. He provides a fascinating insight into wartime Britain: working as a machinist by day, basic Home Guard training from First World War veterans, learning to use sticky bombs, standing guard at night and vigilance against German parachutists. His reminiscences on wartime Britain continue after he joined the army: the harshness of the conditions, training exercises across the countryside, navigating through Southern England a dispatch rider with minimal resources and relying on army units for fuel and food. His unit landed in Normandy later in June as a support unit for 43rd Wessex Brigade. He recalls the ever-present fear of enemy artillery and nebelwerfer rockets, which had a significant psychological impact. After being injured, he was evacuated for medical treatment and struggled with feelings of guilt for leaving his comrades.

Stephen Weall served as a regular officer in the Royal Marines, retiring with the rank of Captain after a career that spanned active service, training, and senior logistical roles. His military life began in 1962, following an unplanned but decisive shift away from the Army and into the Royal Marines, where demanding training gave him both focus and a lasting sense of purpose. Stephen’s first operational deployment was to Aden, a place he recalls initially as relatively calm, before tensions escalated into what became known as the Aden Emergency. As a young troop commander with 45 Commando, he experienced the realities of counter-insurgency operations in some of the harshest terrain of the Radfan Mountains. Life there was basic and exposed: long patrols at altitude, minimal equipment, unreliable radios, and complete reliance on helicopters for water and resupply. Stephen describes this period as “old-fashioned soldiering,” drawing parallels with Victorian frontier warfare, where small units operated independently against lightly armed but resilient tribal fighters. He later took part in operations beyond Aden, including the intervention in East Africa following the mutiny of the Tanganyika Rifles, before returning to the Radfan as the campaign intensified. Despite moments of contact with the enemy, Stephen’s reflections are restrained and thoughtful, focusing less on combat and more on responsibility, leadership, and the realities of command under pressure. Stephen returned to Aden again in 1967, this time as a motor transport officer, during the British withdrawal. It is this period that provokes some of his strongest reflections. He recalls the unease of dismantling a long-standing presence, and the moral discomfort of seeing local employees paid off and left vulnerable as Britain departed. Looking back, Stephen regards Aden as a “forgotten war” — one that lacks clear victory or resolution, but which nonetheless mattered deeply to those who served. For him, its significance lies not in strategy or outcome, but in the professionalism, endurance, and mutual care shown by ordinary servicemen operating in difficult and often thankless circumstances.

For London-based secretary, Peggy Jacobsen, joining a cause in the Second World War was “the obvious thing to do”. Her mission to help was set in motion shortly after a friend of her father’s came to dinner one evening. Peggy’s journey as a member of the FANY began in the summer of 1939, “roughing it” at Mytchett Camp, where she trained for the corps. After that, her unit became “really and truly mobilised”. The FANYs were originally founded as motor companies. Some members possessed technical skills, which made them good mechanics. Others, including Peggy, showcased their excellence at typewriters. Following a split that took place within the corps, Peggy was absorbed into the group known as ‘Free FANYs’, where she worked on administrative tasks in the office. Despite the name, Peggy quipped that she “Didn’t exactly feel very free”. Peggy also became involved with the Polish unit in Scotland and participated in the formation of FANY Headquarters Scotland. Here, the Polish unit provided necessities, including ambulances and drivers, as well as welfare services to the Poles. Throughout the interview, Peggy fondly remembers many friends and fellow FANY members, people she “will never forget”.   The publication of this previously unseen interview was made possible thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity, to mark 80 years since the closure of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in January 1946.